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Deeyah
Photo credit: Lee Eslinger, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Category: Performing
Country: Norway
About
Deeyah was born and raised in Oslo, Norway to a Pashtun mother of Afghani ancestry and a Pakistani father. Deeyah trained within the North Indian/Pakistani classical vocal tradition for more than fourteen years. Deeyah was the target of much criticism because of her courageous choice to follow her dreams of being a musician. After years of suffering constant intimidation and physical threats, Deeyah left Norway in 1996 for the UK. As she faced the same threats in the UK, Deeyah finally left for safety in the United States.
Deeyah has spearheaded an inspiring musical project called “Sisterhood,” which she describes as the collection of previously unreleased songs written by young up and coming female Muslim rappers, singers and poets. Their songs deal with the various challenges they have faced, from the war in Iraq to the hate and racism post 9/11, but also address women’s rights issues, faith and personal experiences of being young Muslim women in Europe and the United States.
